Sleep training is a process that helps babies who are unable to get to sleep – or stay asleep – on their own learn how to fall asleep and sleep through the night more easily. Although some babies manage this feat early on, say within three months of arrival (when night-time feedings are tapering off), others may need help achieving this important goal.
Sleep training may involve some combination of creating bed-time rituals, training babies to self-soothe by letting them “cry it out,” comforting (but not picking them up) when they cry, and other strategies. For more information on what to expect, start here.